Emergency services dispatchers, responsible for receiving 911 calls and dispatching ambulance, police and fire services, are in great demand in many call centres across Canada. Focus on the training and hiring context of this profession.
The job of emergency services dispatcher offers an exceptional placement rate, but it is important to know that many positions are temporary, on call or part time during the first few years. “We find that almost all our graduates find a job without any problem,” says Caroline Bouchard, director of continuing education services at the Cégep Beauce-Appalaches.
Certain larger centres, with the resources to provide effective on-site training, also hire many employees without a diploma. “Demand is very high,” Caroline Bouchard says. “It is nonetheless recommended to be trained in a recognized institution. At the Cégep Beauce-Appalaches an attestation of college studies is offered that allows development of all the necessary skills. It is online training, at a set time with a teacher by video. It is very much anchored in practice and in case studies, which lets our students be quickly functional when they arrive on the job market.”
To handle calls received at the centre and collect complete information, the emergency services dispatcher follows precise protocols. It is a job that demands a high level of meticulousness, despite the speed at which the work takes place. All training offered by schools in Canada are designed to meet standards set by the Ministry of Public Security, which are also respected by the call centres, whether public or private. Intimate understanding of these standards is obviously one of the selection criteria.
An effective communicator, the dispatcher not only knows how to listen and be empathetic, but also how to communicate her analysis effectively and her summary of the emergency situation. It all takes place in a context of speed and tension – so candidates must have great self-control and excellent stress management. Add to that excellent judgement. “The dispatcher must know how to deal with priorities and act with utmost discernment in all circumstances, in order to make the right decisions in an emergency situation,” explains Caroline Bouchard.